The Chicago White Sox still have a pulse in the AL Central race and will open a three-game series tonight against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

Chicago is 6 1/2 games behind Detroit in the division standings and has alternated wins and losses over its last eight games. It lost two of three games against the LA Angels of Anaheim over the weekend and suffered a 3-2 setback in Sunday's series finale.

Carlos Quentin drove in both runs, while Gordon Beckham and Paul Konerko both had two hits and a run scored in the setback. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle took the loss after yielding three runs -- two earned -- on five hits over seven frames.

"We swung the bats good, they didn't fall," said Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen. "Buehrle pitched well; every game we lose from here on is hard."

Freddy Garcia will handle pitching duties for Guillen's club Tuesday and he is 1-2 with a 4.40 ERA in five starts. He last pitched on September 9 in a 4-3 win versus Oakland and did not factor in the outcome after limiting the A's to a pair of runs in six innings.

The right-hander is 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA in six career starts against the Mariners.

Seattle has won two of three games and split a doubleheader with the Texas Rangers on Sunday. After losing 7-2 in the opener, the Mariners responded with a 5-0 victory in the nightcap thanks to starting pitcher Felix Hernandez, who scattered four hits, walked one and fanned five batters over seven innings.

Ichiro Suzuki became the first player in major league baseball history to compile nine consecutive 200-hit seasons, breaking the all-time mark previously owned by Willie Keeler since 1901. In the process, he also tied Ty Cobb for the American League record for most 200-hit seasons in a career. The all-time major league record is 10 by Pete Rose.

Adrian Beltre clubbed a two-run homer for the Mariners, who won for just the second time in their last eight tries.

Ian Snell will try to get back in the win column when he takes the ball for Seattle on Tuesday. Snell had won four straight starts before losing his most recent outing on September 9 versus the Angels. Snell allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-3 loss to fall to 4-2 with a 5.13 ERA in eight starts for the Mariners.

Snell, who owns a 6-10 mark in 23 starts with Pittsburgh and Seattle this season, is 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA in two career starts against Chicago.

The 2009 season series between the White Sox and Mariners is tied at three games apiece.